A Surge of British Jews Affected by Holocaust are Trying to Move to Germany

Descendants of Jews who suffered the Holocaust are seeking German citizenship after Brexit.

British Jews, descendants of Jews who fled Germany during the Nazi Era, are making use of their legal right to immigrate back to Germany. It is believed the recent Brexit vote has caused the sudden migration.

Authorities in Germany reported there has been a significant boost in the number of applications for restored citizenships. Restored citizenships are citizenships offered to those who may have been the victims of persecution during the period of Nazi rule in Germany. The restored citizenship is valid even for the descendants of the persecuted.

Currently, authorities state there are more than 400 applications from the UK being processed and a hundred inquiries being responded to. The authorities expect most of the inquiries to likely end up as applications. Prior to Brexit, the number of applications rarely crossed 25 per year.

Though there are plenty of applications coming in, it is still not easy for those opting for such a drastic move. According to Michael Newman, who serves as the Chairman for the Association of Jewish Refugees, there is a significant psychological challenge involved considering Germany’s historical treatment of the Jews.

Most noteworthy is many of the British Jews fleeing Britain right now are the descendants of the same people who risked their lives trying to leave Nazi-ruled Austria and Germany in the 1930s. These individuals have grown up with memories of their grandparents and parents suffering and struggling for acceptance. Their ancestors had their German citizenship stripped by the Nazi regime.

It was only after the defeat of the fascist regime the new German government offered the Jews and other persecuted groups of having their citizenship reinstated. Strangely, even many American-Jews have started making use of this option in recent times.

The present generation of Jews seems not to be bothered about Germany’s past reputation. However, they are very much aware of what their parents and grandparents went through. Oliver Marshall, a historian of international migration said his grandmother Klara Rosenberg, would have had a very negative reaction to what is happening now. In fact, Marshall claims that his grandmother would have even failed to understand.

One of the other reasons motivating Jews to leave Britain is the growing sentiment against foreigners.


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